Animated motor actuated walking doll



y 7, 1953 A. ROMANO ANIMATED MOTOR ACTUATED WALKING DOLL I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 18, 1951 Anthony Romano INVENTOR.

BY 92mm MW 3m July 7, 1953 A. ROMANO 2,644,273

ANIMATED MOTOR ACTUATED WALKING DOLL Filed April 18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 :2 .TM II 1 An/bony Romano INVENTOR.

Patented July 7, 1953 STATS OFFICE ANIMATED MOTOR ACTUATED WALKING DOLL Anthony Romano, New Haven, Conn, assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to The Blinking Doll Enterprises, Incorporated, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application April 18, 1951, Serial No. 221,563

This invention relates to improvements in walking dolls of the general type disclosed in the Domowitch et a1. Patent No. 1,992,477.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved doll of the animated type by incorporating an extensible link therein, one end of the link being operatively connected with a crankshaft constituting apart of the operating mechanism for the doll and the other end'of the link being provided with a crank which is engageable with a rocker, this rocker being connected with a pair of oscillating eye members so that upon operation of the standard motor of the doll, the link is actuated thereby imparting an oscillatory movement to the eye members of the doll.

A further object of this invention is to provide a mechanism for causing the eye members to move in response to tilting movement of the head case of the doll, this meanscomprising a counterweight which extends laterally of the eye member rocker so that it constitutes a'stop for the upper end of the link which operates the rocker, preventing the upper end of the link from separating from the rocker.

Ancillary objects and features of importance will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

In the drawings: I

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the doll having the attachment therein, the eye members being in a closed position and the structure for operating the eye members being in a corresponding position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of the structure of Figure 1, portions being broken away in section to illustrate internal detail, showing the position of the link, rocker and counterweight When the eyes of the head case are in the open position;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 1 and inthe direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the link which is employed for causing the eye members to escillate, portions of the standard structure being shown in dotted line; and,

Figure 6 is a top view of the link illustrating the various curvatures thereof.

In the Domowitch patent (supra) the broadconcept of providing a walking doll of such construction that the arms move, the broad idea of 5 Claims. (Cl. 46-150) having a pair of eyes move in response to operation of the arms and legs is disclosed. I have illustrated considerable standard structure of an animated doll in orderto show the integration of my improvement therewith. The doll includes a pair of legs I0 with shoes 12, the shoes being provided with standard means enabling the shoes to move forward and retain the new position forward, this means being purely conventional and not shown. There is a dress l4 disposed on the body of the doll, the body including a frame generally indicated at' I6. This frame is also a standard part being provided with a conventional spring motor, of whichthe gear I8 constitutes a part. Also forming a part of the conventional spring motor is acranks'haft IS, a throw 20 of which on each end having a pitman 22 connected therewith, which are pivotally connected to levers 24 which are fixed to a horizontal shaft assembly 28, the shaft assembly being supported by a suitable part of the frame it. One of the levers 24 has a slot 28 in it accommodating a pin 30, the pin being fixed to a spindle 32 which rises vertically from its bearing in the top part of the frame I6 and which supports the neck 34 of a head case 36, the head case being of hollow construction. Standard means are used for securing the neck portion 34 of the head case 36 to the spindle, an example of such standard means being the nut 38 threaded on the spindle 32 pressing the lower end of the neck portion 3 against a fixed collar 40 which is located on the spindle 32.

' Included among the standard structure of the illustrated animated doll are the arms 42 and 44, these arms being fastened to the outer ends of the shaft assembly 26. Not only is the function of the crankshaft It to oscillate the levers 24 but also links 46 having slots 48 at their upper ends are connected by means of the slots to the crank. shaft It, the lower ends of the link and other standard structure not shown being employed to move the legs H3 in an oscillating manner.

The neck portion 34 of the head case 36 is provided with a slot 50 through which a link 52 is adapted to pass.

being joined together by a means capable of holding the sections in selected extended positions with respect to each other so that the total length of the link 52 may be regulated in accordance with the needs of the particular doll having the link applied thereto. The lower end of the link 52 is provided with an eye 56 which is 'disposed on the throw 20 of the crankshaft [8,, the

This link includes a lower section 53 and an upper section 54, the two sections upper end of the section 53 to which the eye is connected being threaded, the threads constituting a part of the means of extensibly connecting the sections 53 and 54. The lower end of the upper section 54 is also threaded and there is a turnbuckle 60, internally threaded sleeve or the like connected with the threads at the confronting ends of the sections 53 and 54 whereby the two sections 53 and 54 may be selectively brought together or extended relative to each other, the purpose being to adapt the link to various animated dolls and also to adjust the degree of opening and closing of the two eye members E2 and 64 which are located in the head case 36.

The eye members are connected together for uniform movement by a shaft 86 which is fixed at its ends to the eye members, this shaft being carried in bearings in the mounting bracket 63, the mounting bracket being fixed to the interior of the hollow head case 3% in such position that the eye members 62 and B4 are located immediately behind apertures in the front of the head case 36.

A rocker it is fixed at its inner end to the shaft 65 and projects toward the interior of the head case 35. The rocker has at its opposite end a counterweight i2 which extends laterally from the rocker it and serves two functions. The first function of the counterweight i2 is to cause the eye members 62 and 54 to be moved in response to tilting movement of the head case 36. Accordingly, when the doll is laid down in a rest position, the eye members assume a closed condition regardless of the position of the link 52 atthatparticular time. The second function of the counterweight 12 is to prevent the crank "H5 at the upper end of the link 52 from separating from the rocker it. The crank it constitutes a means to impart movement to the rocker it in response to operation of the crankshaft l2. t is to be noted that the link 52 is smoothly curved from the eye 56 to the arm ,78 of the crank it, At the outer end of the arm l8 there is a right angular-1y disposed part 80, the outer end of which has another right angularly disposed extension 82, the extension 82 and the arm :8 being substantially parallel. The crank l5 liesunder the rocker it, the rocker being gravitationally pulled, by the counterweight l2,into contact'therewith so that there is a sliding contact between the rocker l8 and the crank it. Since thecounterweight l2 extends laterally from the rocker it, as the link 52 is onerated, the crank '16 rides under the rocker it. However, at the same time the head case 36 is oscillated by its spindle 32 whereby there is a relative lateral sliding movement between the crank 18 and the rocker it. When the head case 36 is tilted so that the doll assumes a rest position, the counterweight is gravitationally pulled to such position that the eye members 52 and ea assume a closed position, but the counterweight does not movesuificiently far away from the crank. 16 as to cause complete separation of the crank '16 from the rocker it and counter- Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In an animated walking doll which includes a motor operated crankshaft, a movable head case, means connected to said crankshaft and said case for oscillating-said head case, a pair of eye members mounted for rocking movement in said head case, and a pair of oscillatable supporting legs connected to the crankshaft to be actuated thereby, a rocker connected with said eye members, a link connected at one end to said crankshaft, and means at the opposite end of said link and arranged to impart'movement to said rocker in response to operation of said crankshaft, the-last mentioned means comprising a crank provided at the extremity of said link which is slidingly contacted by said rocker, a counterweight fixed to the outer end of said rocker and extending laterally of said rocker, said counterweight being arranged to operate said rocker in response to tilting said liead'case, and said counterweight constituting a stop for said crank preventing said crank from separating from said rocker.

2. In a walking doll which includes a motor operated crank shaft and a frame, a head case mounted for oscillation on said frame and means connected to said crank shaft and said head case for oscillating said head, and a pair of oscillat= able legs engaged with the crankshaft to be actu- 'ated thereby; the improvement comprising a pair of eye members mounted rockably in the head case, a rocker attached to and extending from said eye members and adapted to operate said eye members, a counterweight supported onand extending laterally from said rocker, a link con-- nected to the crankshaft and having a crank at its upper end, said headlcase being provided with a slot'through which said link passes, and said crank being in contact with said rocker to impart rocking movement thereto for actuation of said eye members in response to operation of said crankshaft.

3. In a walking doll which includes a motor operated crankshaft and a frame, a head case mounted for oscillation on said frame, means connected to said crankshaft and said head case for oscillating said head, and a pair of oscillatable supporting legs connected to said crankshaft to be actuated thereby, the improvement comprising a pair of eye members mounted rockably in the head case, a rocker attached to and extending from said eye members and adapted to operate said eye members, a counterweight supported by and extending laterally from said rocker, a link connected to the crankshaft and having a crank at its upper end, said head case being provided with a slot through which said link passes, and said crank being in contact with said rocker to impart rocking movement thereto for actuation of said eye members in response to 0p=- eration of said crankshaft, said counterweight extending laterally from said rocker to maintain said rocker in contact with said crank and said counterweight constituting a stop preventing said crank from separating from said rocker.

4. Inc. Walking doll which includes a motor operated crankshaft and a frame, a head case mounted for oscillation on said frame, means connected to said crankshaft and said head case for oscillating said head, and a pair of oscillatable supporting legs connected to said crankshaft to be actuated thereby; the improvement comprising a pair of eye members mounted rockably in the head case, a rocker attached to and extending from said eye members and adapted to operate said eye members, a counterweight supported by and extending laterally from said rocker, a link connected to the crankshaft and having a crank at its upper end, said head case being provided with a slot through which said link passes, and said crank being in contact with said rocker to impart rocking movement thereto for actuation of said eye members in response to operation of said crankshaft, said link including an upper and a lower section, and means extensibly connecting said sections together for adjusting the effective length of said link to thereby adjust the path of travel of said rocker.

5. In an animated walking doll which includes a movable head case, a motor operated crankshaft, means connecting the crankshaft to the head case for oscillating the latter, a pair of oscillatable supporting legs, means connecting the legs to the crankshaft to impart oscillatory movement to the legs for the purpose of moving the doll, a pair of eye members mounted for rocking movement in the head case, a rocker connected to the eye members and a counterweight supported on and extending laterally from the rocker; an actuator for the rocker comprising upper and lower bendable rod sections having adjacent threaded ends, a turnbuckle joining the adjacent threaded ends of said rod sections, the lower end of said lower rod section terminating in an eye engaged over said crankshaft whereby said rod sections will be recipro-. cated during rotation of said crankshaft, said upper rod section extending upwardly from the ANTHONY ROMAN O.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 820,843 Arnold May 15, 1906 1,992,477 Domowitch et a1. Feb.;26, 1935 2,022,286 Henry Nov. 26, 1935 2,147,215 Price Feb. 14, 1939 

